Combustible fuel emulsion and process



' process by :Pate nted F b. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER KIBSCHBRAUN, HENRY J'- ROSSBACHER, AND GENE ABSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLI- 'NOIS; SAID ROSSBAGHER AND SAID ABSON ASSIGNORS 10 SAID KIRSCHIBRAUN.

COMBUSTIBLE FUEL EMULSION AND PROCESS.

N0 Drawing. Application filed October 16, 1920, Serial No. 417,488. Renewed July 5, 1928.

This invention relates to combustible fuels and process of making same and refers more particularly to a process of combining certain hydrocarbon oils with water to form a relatively permanent emulsion.

Among its salient objects are to provide a process for combining hydrocarbon oils such as gasoline or the like with Water in the state of an emulsion having the oil in the continuous or external phase; to provide a jell consisting of a highly concentrated dis ersion of water in oil which is capable of admixture with further quantities of oil in any proportion; to provide a which the emulsification may be eifected merely by stirring or agitating the ingredients; to provide a process whereby the water may be emulsified with the oil in any desired quantity, and the emulsion diluted at will with oil to procure any desired oil and water proportion without affecting the stability of the product; to provide a process by which may be produced an emulsion product of oil and water varying in consistency from a very fluid liquid to a stifi' gelatinous substance according to the relative quantities of water and oil; to provide an oil and water emulsion which volatilizes at relatively low temperatures and is ignited producing a smooth even operation to internal combustion engines, a fuel emulsion that is completely consumed in expending its energy in the cylinder and assists in keeping piston, cylinders, valves and related parts free from foreign material such as carbon.

In the emulsifying of hydrocarbon oils and particularly in emulsifying oils for fuel purposes as for internal combustion engines and the like, it is essential that the ingredients of the emulsion may be readily volatilized. To those familiar with the combustion reaction taking place in internal combustion engines, it is a well known fact that commonly used emulsifying agents such as metallic soaps are not easily volatilized or expelled from the combustion chambers. Consequently there is a gradual accumulation of a soapy material which is objectionable to fuel vaporization and the mechanical performance of the machine.

In emulsifying hydrocarbons such as gasoline or other low boilingvpoint fractions and even the emulsification of lighter cuts from crude petroleum, we first make a the diluting oil.-

solution of a given quantity of oil to be emulsified and the emulsifying-agent. This agent 1s preferably sulphonic acid which is obtained from sludge tars or acid sludges resultlng from the treatment of petroleum 011s and by mixing equal parts of the hydrocarbon oil to be emulsified with this sulphonic ac d, and then adding gradually, while mixing, small quantities of water, we procure a turbid green or bluish green liquid which thickens with the addition of the water. By adding the water in this manner, it 1s finely dispersed in the combination of the 011 and emulsifying agent in colloidal form the oil being in the continuous or external phase and the water in the internal phase. It is essential that the water be added very gradually and that during the addition of the water the oil and sulphonic acid mixture be continuously .agitated; otherwise the emulsion may be reversed and the Water assume the continuous phase. With the addition of water in this manner the mixture will gradually thicken until it attains a thick gelatinous" consistency at WhlCh time the water constitutes from 30% to 40% of the mixture. The oil and sulphonic acid combination is capable of suspending in colloidal form as much at 75% to 85% of water. When the water has been added in excess of this amount the gelatinous emulsion will become thinned and break down, the water then assuming the continuous or the external phase. To ob tain the most desirable results, water should be added to the amount of 50% to 75% the emulsion then being a thick jell.

Having formed the jell in this manner,

it is a simple matter to add the combustible that the water and fuel in any amount so oil are contained in the mixture in desired proportion. That is, the gelatinous mixture may be thinned with hydrocarbon oil so that the Water content is 5% or 10% While the fuel content is from 80% to 90% the emulsifying agent being present to the amount of 1/2 to 1%, the viscosity of the mixture then being approximately that of This mixture when. fuel will be sufliciently thinned to readily flow through valves and small connections such as those employed in connection with carburetors.

used as a combustible Very satisfactory results have been pro duced by the use of commercial sulphonic acid made from petroleum having a s eeific gravity of 1.0. his product can be 1!].(1 in large quantities and at a comparatively low cost. The acid is very weak and is contained in such small amounts that it will not deteriorate in-a11y way the metal interior of the engine. If it is desired to offset any objection to the deteriorating effects of the acid, a dilute solution of suitable base may be added to neutralize it.

Concerning the stability of the emulsion it has been found that simple agitation is enough to produce a very suitable emulsion but with the use of a homogenizer or a mechanical agitator or mixerwhereby particles may be much more finely dispersed the stability of the mixture may be improved.

Also it may be advisable to homogenize the".

mother liquid in its preparation.

This emulsion is easily volatilized and all of the ingredients thereof completely consumed or expelled from the combustion chamber during the operation of the machine. Besides the use in internal combustion engines, the emulsion when made with liquid hydrocarbons such as the heavier and higher boiling point fractions maybe used as a liquid fuel for generating-heat and power in large power installations. An example of an emulsion prepared contained, in the jell, parts of sulphonic acid and parts kerosene to which was gradually added 415 parts of water.

The product was a jell containing 87.3% of water, 5.3% of emulsifying agent and 7 .4% of oil, the oil in the continuous phase making it practical to dilute the jell to any desired extent with the same oil or other suitable oils for example gasoline, benzol and pressure distillates.

' We claim as our invention:

1. A process of making an emulsion jell for dilution with a hydrocarbon oil to produce a combustible mixture consisting in mixing hydrocarbon oil with sulphonic acid in predetermined proportions, gradually adding and incorporating water into the mixture while agitating to any desired proportion to form a jell containing the water in colloidal suspension. Q

2. A rocess of making an emulsion consisting in forming a jell by mixing predetermined propoitions of hydrocarbon oil with sulphonic acids, then gradually adding and incorporating water by agitating and subsequently diluting the resulting jell with hydrocarbon oil to form a relatively perma nent oil and water emulsion having the oil in the continuous phase.

3. A rocess of making an emulsion consisting in forming a jell by mixing predetermined proportions of a li ht hydrocarbon oil with sulphonic acids, t len gradually adding water while agitating and diluting the resultant jell with hydrocarbon oil to any predetermined pro ortion of oil and water to form a relative y permanent emulsion having the oil in the continuous phase.

4. A jell containing water colloidably dispersed in a solution of (sulphonic acids) in hydrocarbon oil, the water being in the non-continuous or disperse phase and constituting a relatively large proportion of the.-

LESTER KIRSGHBRAUN. HENRY J. ROSSBACHER. GENE ABSON. 

